KISS mocks Mötley Crüe's 1982 low-budget stage show but remembers being blown away by the metal newcomers

By Joe Lynch

After KISS and Mötley Crüe announced their joint summer tour at a press conference, the iconic hard-rock bands sat down with Fuse to talk to us about their 40 date, head-banging extravaganza.

“We didn’t wanna just go out and do another tour, we wanted somebody out there sharing the stage with us who was going to blow it up and kick everybody in the nuts,” explained Gene Simmons.

“We played five shows together in 1982. KISS gave us our first tour. We sort of lost our virginity to these guys,” Nikki Sixx joked. “Actually we did lose our virginity to these guys, but that’s another story.”

“I remember about that tour, we didn’t really have any money but we tried to put a stage show together,” Vince Neil told us. “We basically had these sticks with skulls on them and we lit them on fire and I remember your [speaking to KISS] road crew was going, ‘What the f*ck is this sh*t?”

Check out this new promotional video for KISS and Motley Crue: THE TOUR!

Members of KISS and Motley Crue will be teaming up for a series of radio interviews today to promote the hottest tour of the summer!

Paul Stanley and Nikki Sixx will be calling into:

WMMR -Philly 10:10
KBPI -Denver 11:10
WRAT - New Jersey 11:50

Gene Simmons and Tommy Lee will be calling into:

KRFX - Denver 11:10
WNOR - Richmond (Virginia Beach) 11:20
KSAN - San Francisco 11:10

ALL TIMES LISTED ABOVE ARE EASTERN TIME ZONE

The guys are recording additional interviews live-to-tape that will air in the near future on many more radio stations. KISSonline will post a complete list of radio appearances later today.

Here are a few photos from outside at Jimmy Kimmel's Live Stage area. The guys just finished sound check and were about to head back inside to their dressing room.

Photos by Keith Leroux for KISSonline.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from before KISS' press conference at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood yesterday. The band and staff took over several rooms at the hotel to act as a "backstage area" to prepare for the big announcement.

Pictured are Paul, Gene, Doc McGhee and Mark Strohman (McGhee Management) arriving at the hotel; Tommy relaxing in his room before putting on his makeup; the legendary KISS Superman curtain waiting to be hung; Tommy's makeup table; Paul and Gene's new outfits being readied for the guys.

Photos by Keith Leroux for KISSonline.

By Steve Baltin

KISS and Mötley Crüe gathered today at L.A.'s Roosevelt Hotel to announce "The Tour," a joint summer package that kicks off July 20th in Bristow, Virginia and runs through September 23rd in Hartford, Connecticut. Each band will play about 90 minutes and KISS will close every night.

Calling it "The Tour" is a bold proclamation. But after more than 60 combined years on the road, both bands feel comfortable with living up to that title. "You will scream your head off until it’s no longer on your shoulder and then you’ll feel great. You’ll be drenched, exhausted, and completely satisfied without ever having anyone touch your schmekel," Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone.

KISS' Paul Stanley has loftier goals though, namely surpassing the band's reputation as one of the great live acts. "What we’re hoping for, and certainly I am, is whatever people’s expectations are, we blow them out of the water," Stanley told Rolling Stone. "I want people to hope for the legend that they’ve heard about and find out it’s greater than that. I think that the longer we’re around the more invincible we become."

Here's KISS performing "Detroit Rock City" and "Calling Dr. Love" on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night!

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ROCK BANDS ON ONE STAGE

SUMMER 2012

Rock ‘n Roll doesn’t get any bigger than this! KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE... On the same stage... On the same night. This spectacle of spectacles announced today, KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE are uniting to launch THE TOUR of 2012. The summer's biggest, baddest rock tour will level 40+ cities nationwide starting July 20th. The Live Nation promoted tour will go on sale beginning Friday, March 23rd at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. The KISS Army Fan Club pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 21st at 10am.

With combined album sales of almost 200 million, KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE are more than just iconic; they remain today as the dominant powerhouses of rock music tallying 30+ chart-topping hits, countless sold out tours and awards and accolades from around the world. Known for their elaborate and spectacular stage shows, each band plans to give fans the ultimate summer concert experience with the most impressive lighting and sound production ever and their signature over-the-top pyrotechnics. This is the first time KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE will share a stage since 1982.

These veterans of the music business are still at the height of their popularity. KISS is the juggernaut of them all, with 3,000 licensed merchandise products, including the KISS golf course in Las Vegas and a new album. KISS has broken box office records set by The Beatles and Elvis. MÖTLEY CRÜE is the first rock band in history to have just completed an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The band is best known for continuing to reinvent not only their live show (with mind blowing elements such as Tommy Lee’s 360 drum roller coaster) and music (brand new song due out this spring), but remain on the cutting edge via social media interaction. MÖTLEY CRÜE’s New York Times bestselling book The Dirt is currently being adapted into a major motion picture. Last month, the band was featured in one of the highest rated Super Bowl ads of all time for the KIA Optima.

For tickets & VIP packages, including opportunities to meet KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE, please visit www.KISSonline.com or www.Motley.com.

CLICK HERE FOR TOUR DATES

Here's your chance to enjoy a virtual front-row seat at the KISS / Motley Crue press conference this afternoon! View it in streaming video below.

The press conference is scheduled to begin at 2:30pm PST.

KISS and Motley Crue are hitting the road for a co-headlining tour -- dubbed simply "The Tour" -- this summer, the iconic rock acts announced on Tuesday.

The 40-date North American tour will kick off in Bristow, Va., on July 20 and run through the end of the summer, with the hard rock groups each playing 90-minute sets.

"These guys are the baddest band in the f***ing world," Motley Crue's Vince Neil said on stage with both bands at the Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday. "Our very first tour was with [KISS], 1982. To be able to do it now is amazing."

"Seeing them on stage, it was obvious back then that this was the next big thing," KISS' Paul Stanley added. "We talk about bang for buck, this will be the definition of bang for buck on this tour. If you want to see more bombs and artillery, you'll have to check out the military."

Whether or not KISS bassist Gene Simmons' A&E reality show, "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," will follow the explosive tour was unclear. "Probably. Maybe… not," he said.

But he had a clear answer to for the pop stars now invading stadiums once filled largely by rock acts.

"We're sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes in back of them," Simmons said. "No fake bulls**t. Leave that to the Rihanna, Smhianna and anyone who ends their name with an 'A.'"

Here are a few photos from today's big KISS / Motley Crue press conference.

Photos by Keith Leroux

KISS will rock Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight, Tuesday, March 20th. The show airs on ABC at 12:05 AM ET/PT.

KOL SNEAK PEEK: In preparation for the KISS MONSTER Book release this summer, Tommy met with the team from the UK's First Light Publishers today to review full-size proofs from the giant book. More info on the limited edition KISS Monster Book is soon to come.

By Keith Spera
Photo by Danny Bourque

KISS, the Black Keys and Jimmy Buffett are slated to perform free concerts in Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans the weekend of the NCAA Men's Final Four. The concerts are part of a full slate of festivities throughout the college men's basketball championship weekend.

Veteran hard rock group KISS will kick off "The Big Dance Concert Series" on Friday, March 30. The band last performed in New Orleans during the 2009 Voodoo Experience in City Park. Expect a set heavy on such favorites as “Rock ‘n’ Roll All Night,” “Detroit Rock City” and “Calling Dr. Love.”